Thomas Rhett jokingly referenced one of the tracks on his latest studio record (and his 2025 tour's namesake) in the aftermath of an ankle injury he suffered during a show.

Rhett shared a clip on his Instagram story on Thursday (April 17), appearing to sit at home sipping coffee from a “Best Dad Ever” mug and wearing a boot to help in the recovery process. “Better in boots, man,” Rhett said. “Better in boot. Welcome to the ‘Better In Boot Tour.’”

Rhett jokingly referenced the name of his tour on his Instagram story on Thursday after opening up about his recent ankle injury. It happened when Rhett made a surprise appearance at Contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Forrest Frank’s show over the weekend at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Rhett shared a clip of that moment on TikTok, and although he made enough of a “quick recovery” to continue the performance, he admitted he was in “pain” when he took the stage. He said in the video, “you know, every now and then, you just have to sing at a Forrest Frank concert and break your ankle in the process.” He left the venue in a wheelchair.

Rhett shared an update on his Instagram story on Wednesday afternoon (April 16). He said in that update he’d gone for an x-ray and “nothing is broken…so I think it’s just a pretty gnarly sprain.” He also said he “can’t put weight on it yet” in Wednesdays update, before offering a glimpse of his boot.

The singer-songwriter released “Boots” on his seventh studio record, About A Woman, which arrived in August 2024. Soon after that, Rhett announced his “Better In Boots Tour,” kicking off in June. Earlier this year, Rhett added a tour stop at the iconic Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts. Rhett said he’s “dreamed of headlining Fenway” since he was 21. “We were planning on playing Fenway in 2020, but we all know how that panned out. I have never been more excited about something in my career as much as I am about this. I can’t wait to see all your faces there!”

Rhett is part of the star-studded lineup of the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival, which is slated to take place on Saturday, May 3. The festival, hosted by iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones, will return to Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Other artists in the lineup include Brooks & Dunn, Cole Swindell, Rascal Flatts, Sam Hunt, Megan Moroney, Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith. Smith and Moroney will also perform at the free Daytime Village, taking over the Dell Technologies Plaza from 12:30 p.m. 4:30 p.m. CT. that lineup also includes Matt Stell, Tucker Wetmore and Dasha.

Hulu will be the Official Streaming Destination of the festival, with performances livestreamed exclusively to all Hulu subscribers at no additional cost. Additional information about the livestream will be posted across Hulu’s platform and social media channels. Fans can tune in to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival to catch all of the action live on May 3 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT) across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and on the free iHeartRadio app via iHeartRadio's iHeartCountry station. Tickets to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival are available now via Ticketmaster.com.

BC